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Republic
Republic is a colony of the former Galactic Commonwealth located in the Pegasus Sector. Planetography Location: Second Planet, 12 606 Pegasi, Pegasus Constellation Primary Star: 12 606 Pegasi Class G yellow dwarf. Stable binary (with 12 527 Pegasi) Area: Total: 544, 574, 382 sq km Land: 353,973,348 sq km Water: 190,601,033 km Note: 35% of Republic is covered by water, 65% by land. Major Land Features Republic’s thick crust does not support development of continental landmass structures. Shallow seas cover only about 35% of the planet’s surface area. The Range of Heroic Leadership – The largest mountain range on the planet comprises three smaller ranges – The Unity, Consensus, and Cooperation Mountains – which lie parallel to each other and stretch for 7,000 km northeast to southwest beginning in Sector 20 North and ending in Sector 28 South. The tallest peaks include Mt. Chevron (9,230 meters), Mt. Locus (9027 meters) and Mt. Zhou (8990 meters). City of Cooperation, City of Prosperity, and City of Genius are located within these ranges. In the colonial and pre-unification ages, many of the mountain passes had turbine energy generators built into them to take advantage of the windy conditions. Most of these have been replaced with more efficient generators, but some of the original ones remain. The Triumph of Unity Mountains – Many peaks in the Triumph of Unity Mountains are named for heroic figures of the Unification Wars who gave their lives for planetary unity, including Mt. Berkeley (4290 meters), Mt. Bond (4340 meters) and Mt. Sysco (4021 meters). The Pentagon mountains stretch across 1,200 kilometers in Sector 14 North. The Destiny of Progress Mountains – The Destiny mountains are the planets second highest and second longest mountain range, stretching four thousand kilometer east-to-west across sectors 7 South to Sector 12 South. The tallest peaks include Mt. Ryder (5,654 meters), Mt. Helena (5233 meters), and Mt. Jamaica (5127 meters.) The Endurance of Spirit Mountains – A mountain range located in Sector 20 N. The Endurance of Spirit Mountains is a part of a range of three highlands, including the Long March, and the Great Accord mountains Preliumtarn '''– About ten million years ago, a large comet smashed into the surface in Sector 32 N, about 200 km from where the City of Endurance is today. It left an almost perfectly round, almost perfectly smooth area of the surface at ground zero, 4000 square kilometers in area. This round, smooth expanse is surrounded by rings of debris caused by the comet, which are called ‘The Mountains of Preliumtarn.’ The origin of the name is unknown, but probably relates to a story which has since been forgotten. '''Trans-Arctic Shield – A vast expanse of exposed bedrock covering some 12,800,000 km in the southern polar region. The Transarctic shield is uninhabited, except for the City of Midlothian, which is built into a mountain range abutting the eastern edge of the shield. The Shield is the oldest surface area of the planet Republic, contains no water or other resources, and has a surface scoured by icy winds. Some areas of the shield turn so cold that the air itself turns to liquid. The Ministries of Environment; Museums, Monuments, and Historical Preservation; Establishment, and the Ministry of Geology, Geography, and Geophysics have all declared the Trans-Arctic Shield to be a Preservation Zone, open only to scientific research, but forbidden from having any permanent inhabitations built on it. Major Bodies of Water Longitudinal Sea '''– The Longitudinal Sea stretches through most of Sector 36 North. It was the primary locus of Element 151 extraction operations during the colonial era. It is the planet’s largest body of water (68 million sq. kilometers), and its shorelines are the locations of Republic’s largest cities. Many kinds of life forms are contained beneath its waters. The Longitudinal Sea is a major conduit for trade and transport, however, its surface conditions can be stormy and difficult to navigate. Cyclonic storms sometimes develop in the southern extremities. The surface in the northern extremities is sometimes covered (in the winter months) with a combination of frozen water and carbon dioxide. '''Elemental Sea – The Elemental Sea is Republic’s Third largest body of water (51 million sq. kilometers), and the least acidic. Equilateral Sea – The Equatorial Sea is Republic’s second largest body of water (68 million kilometers). It parallels the Longitudinal Sea, and rests in both the northern and the southern hemispheres. Its eastern shore is far more heavily populated than its western shore. A clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) moderates the climate around the northern edge. Sea of Fortitude – The Sea of Fortitude Covers 16 million kilometers in the northern hemisphere of the planet. Climate Republic’s atmosphere contains only an 8% concentration of oxygen. Other gases include Nitrogen (57%), Carbon Dioxide (11%), Ammonia (3%), Methane (3%), Water Vapor (3%) Argon (3%) and other gases (10%). This combination is not supportable to human life. Atmospheric pressure is also less than 50 percent of Sapphire’s at mean sea level. Overall, the climate on Republic is inhospitable to human life. Only within the boundaries of the Cities can you breathe the air. Only within the cities is the environment kept at a hospitable temperature. Unlike Sapphire, Republic lacks a system of satellites to keep the planet's axis from deviating. Over time, the planet may "wobble" many degrees off its polar axis. This, combined with the properties of our atmosphere, has created a planet on which the climate is much less differentiated than that of Sapphire. For example, the mean temperature for a given latitude on Sapphire increases as one moves toward the equator, and decreases as one approaches the polar regions. The climate on Republic is more alike across the planet, with most variations being caused by local geological features such as seas, mountains, and volcanoes. The extremely harsh climate of the Trans-Arctic Shield, for example, is primarily due to the lack of water to absorb and store heat from the sun. The atmosphere has been enriched in areas near the cities because of the actions of atmospheric processors. The atmosphere in such places holds in heat from the sum more effectively The Republic System Proxy orbit: 62,212,000 km diameter: 6,022 km mass: 2.35e24 kg natural satellites: 0 Proxy is a small, airless planet. Its surface is covered with craters, but otherwise smooth very few hills and mountains. Proxy goes around the sun every 100 days, and rotates at the same rate, so that the same side always faces the sun. A vast section of the hemisphere that faces the sun has collapsed, leaving a large depression. It was named Proxy probably because of its proximity (or closeness) to the sun. Republic orbit: 166,412,000 km average diameter: 13,166 km mass: 6.201e24 kg natural satellites: 0 Arista orbit: 320,680,000 km diameter: 16,054 km mass: 8.35e24 kg natural satellites: 3 Arista occupies the next orbit out from our planet. It is coated with a frosty layer of frozen water, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons. It derives its name from an ancient word meaning "harvest." This was also the name of the Extraction Company that first began extracting water and hydrocarbons from its surface. Hydrocarbons are made into plastics, composites, and certain kinds of fuel. A day on Arista lasts only 15 hours, but a year lasts two of Republic’s years. Arista has three moons. Bonamy base is located on Arista One, and is a major center for trade and commerce with the out-system and Sapphire. A detachment of the Home Guard is located there. Archon orbit: 500,822,000 km diameter: 19,979 km mass: 1.35e25 kg natural satellites: 0 Archon is a very large planet covered by a thick sheet of frozen water (40 – 200 kilometers thick. The thick sheet of ice is clear over much of the planet, and splits sunlight into beautiful colors and patterns. In some areas, the is so clear, you can see the rocky surface far below. It appears as the second brightest object in our sky, after the sun, even brighter than Sapphire’s sun because its surface reflects so much sunlight back at us. Archon has twice as much mass as Republic. On the surface, a human weighs twice as much. The Home Guard carries out training on Archon to increase the strength and stamina of its personnel. Some of the ice is harvested and brought back to Republic for drinking water. A day on Archon lasts about 27 hours, and a year lasts almost three of ours. Archon takes its name from an ancient word meaning "great ruler." There may also have been an inhabited colony called ‘Archon’ in the Ancient Commonwealth. Colossus orbit: : 1,106,000,000 km diameter: 222,000 km mass: 3.35e27 kg natural satellites: 30 Colossus is the largest planet in our system. It is made mainly from Hydrogen and Hydrocarbon gases, with a thick slushy hydrogen firmament at the center. Colossus has thirty moons, four of which are larger than the planet Proxy. Three of these moons are inhabited with outposts. Colossus 1 contains Reliance Base 1, Reliance Base 2, Alpha Base and Colossus Base. Colossus 2 contains Advance Base. Colossus 4 contains Meridian Base 1 and Meridian Base 2. These serve as bases for the Home Guard to operate, as well as shipping stations for materials harvested, extracted, or manufactured in the out-system for trans-shipment to Republic. Almost two million people live around Colossus. Colossus itself is uninhabited, of course. It takes nine of our years to complete an orbit, but has the shortest day in our system, only 11 hours. Colossus was named for a figure from Terran mythology. Colossus was a giant who stood guard at the entrance to a harbor. Shiva orbit: 1,962,212,000 km diameter: 178,000 km mass: 2.15e27 kg natural satellites: 19 Shiva is the outermost planet of the six worlds in our system. It is a gas giant, like Colossus. It has a similar atmosphere. It has nineteen moons, with inhabited outposts on two of them. Shiva 1 is the location of Tantamount Base and Shiva 2 is the location of Estrella Base. Shiva is less important to system commerce than Colossus, and only about forty thousand people inhabit the two small outposts. Many of these people are tasked to service the Tachyon-Pulse Communication Data Relay antennae which are stationed on the next orbit out from Shiva. A day on Shiva lasts 19 hours and the planet takes nineteen years to complete an orbit. Shiva was named for a warship that served the Commonwealth in the Ninth Crusade. Major Cities Most of the population live in the 450 cities and outposts established on the planet. Most cities are ringed by atmosphere processing stations that sustain a livable environment in the immediate vicinity. Other cities are enclosed beneath hermetic domes or built beneath the planet’s surface. Most Cities consisted of several primary towers, very large structures located in the center of the city. In the largest cities, they can reach well over 2000 meters high. The primary towers integrate places to live with marketplaces where food, clothing, services, and other items can be vended. The primary towers frequently contain the offices of city government as well. Recreational facilities, schools, and medical plazas are also placed in the primary towers. These are most often the oldest parts of the city as well, because, for a long time, all city functions were done from a single central complex. Around the primary towers are usually located a number of smaller complexes, which may be primarily or entirely dedicated to a single purpose or to a single enterprise or ministry. There are also sports and entertainment complexes where people can play games or enjoy various kinds of entertainment. Almost every city has an arboretum, a place where trees and flowers can bloom, sustained with processed air and artificial light Most cities have large agro-botanical complexes located on their margins to supply their populations with food. Around the perimeters of cities (usually outside the ring of atmosphere processors), one can find an array of power and water processing plants, that provide the cities with power and water. City of Governance — Population 27 000 000. Located in Sector 1 North. City of Governance is the locus of planetary government. It is the seat of the five houses of representation (the Assembly, the Diet, the Parliament, the Council, and the Legislature), primary headquarters of all of the government ministries, and the President and Prime Minister. All Primary Ministries are based here. City of Alexander '''— Population 40 000 000. Located in Sector 1 North. City of Alexander is the planet’s largest city, and a major center of culture, commerce, industry, and defense. It is the secondary headquarters of the Ministries of Commerce, Culture, Industry, Transport, Space, and Art. '''City of Art — Population 16 000 000. City of Art is the location of the Republic Academy of the Performing Arts and the Republic Center for Excellence in Artistic Endeavor. It is located in Sector 22 North. There are many symphonies, theaters, art museums, and exhibition halls located in the city’s central structure "The Tower of Art." On the top of the tower of art, almost 600 meters high, is a performing arts hall topped by a transparent dome, where an audience of up to 900 people can view plays, concerts, and other performances. It is the Outer Headquarters of the Ministries of the Arts, Entertainment, and Aesthetics City of Benevolence '— Population 9 000 000. City of Benevolence is located in Sector 3 South. It is the secondary headquarters of the Ministries of Human Factors and Elder Citizens. '''City of Commerce '— Population 14 000 000. Located in Sector 7 North. City of Commerce is the site of the Republic Securities Exchange and a major center of culture and media. It is the secondary headquarters of the Ministries of Economics, Infrastructure, and Entertainment. 'City of Endeavor '— Population 10 000 000. City of Endeavor, in Sector 12 North, is the location of the Republic University Center for Women, the only women-only Higher Educational institution on the planet. '''City of Guardian — Population 12 000 000. City of Guardian is located in Sector 1 South. It is one of the major cities of the Southern Hemisphere. A major operational base of the Home Guard is located here in a vast underground complex. City of Industry '— Population 9 000 000. City of Increase lies on the shore of the Sea of Fortitude. It is a key point for shipping food products from the agricultural production facilities in the Plain of Gabriel to all the other cities of the planet. It is the home of the Outer Headquarters for the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydroponics, and Botany and the Ministry of Food Safety. '''City of Justice '— Population 15 000 000. Located in Sector 35 North. City of Justice is the seat of the Republic Judiciary, and secondary headquarters of the Ministries of Justice, Rehabilitation, and Law. 'City of Progress '— Population 19 000 000. City of Progress is the largest city of the southern hemisphere. It is located in Sector 1 South on the Southern Shore of the Equatorial Sea. It is a major center of culture, commerce, industry, and defense. It is the secondary headquarters of the Ministries of Trade, Sector Affairs, Interchange and the Southern Sectors Headquarters of the Ministry of Industry. '''City of Protection — Population 19 000 000. City of Protection is the central locus for coordinating Republic’s planetary defenses. It is located in Sector 2 North. It is the tertiary headquarters of the Ministry of Planetary Security. City of Science — Population 18 000 000. Located in Sector 25 North. City of Science is the secondary headquarters of the Ministries of Science, Technology, Energy and Agriculture. City of Triumph — Population 21 000 000. City of Triumph is located in Sector 5 North, on the opposite shore from the City of Alexander. City of Triumph is a critical link in planetary government, and contains the Outer headquarters of the Ministry of Assistance, the Ministry of Authentication, the Ministry of Citizenship, the Ministry of Organization, the Ministry of Public Opinion, the Ministry of Public Interest, the Ministry of Fairness, the Ministry of Oversight and the Ministry of Governmental Integrity. These are the key "liaison and oversight" Ministries that insure the responsiveness of the Government to the people. City of Unity '— Population 12 000 000. Located in Sector 3 north. City of Unity houses the Outer Ministries of Consensus, Cooperation, and Unity. '''City on the Sea '— Population 2 000 000. City on the Sea was built out from Element 151 Extraction platforms in the middle of the Sea of Fortitude in Sector 18 North. City on the Sea was known as Fortitude Station during the Unification Wars and served as a neutral territory, from which diplomatic missions were carried out. The inhabitants of City on the Sea retain a lot of the pre-unification character of Republic’s inhabitants. 'Midlothian '— Population 800 000. Midlothian is a small outpost located in the southern hemisphere at 69°. It has a special sector assigned to it: Sector Zero South. It is the southernmost permanent habitation on the planet. No ministries are headquartered there. Midlothian performs a critical role by monitoring the fusion and geothermal energy plants that provide power to the planet’s large cities, by monitoring southern weather patterns, handling space and air traffic control over the southern hemisphere, and maintaining the pipelines that run fresh water from the polar ice caps to the planets larger cities. People Planetary Population: 3 293 918 000 Culture and Art To those brave people who brought the planet together, bringing everyone together into a single unified world was the most important thing. While they were so busy bringing people together, they forgot a lot of the things that made each city unique and special. In the colonial era, a traveler going from, say, the City of Alexander to the City of Courage when he arrived would find people who did not speak his language, and whose customs, art, and music would have seemed strange to him. Bringing about a common global identity was a long, arduous, and difficult task that took many centuries to accomplish, but it was important that the planet be brought together, and so our forebears plunged ahead, not always stopping to think about the cultural odds and ends they were erasing. We now enjoy all the benefits of having one language, one rule of law, and one government for all to follow, but many people feel it would be nice to bring back some of the things that made different cities and places special. The Ministry of Art, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Historical Preservation are developing Centers of Regional Nativist Art in twenty cities across the planet, including City on the Sea, City of Tranquility, City of Courage, City of Tradition, and City of Prospect. These centers are intended to encourage the revival of local cultural and artistic traditions. The Torch The Torch is the symbol of the planet Republic. The torch represents the fire and light of the human intellect, sustained against the night, leading humanity out of the darkness. It is a symbol of our belief that we are the guardians of the light of human civilization, and it is our duty to preserve human civilization against the threat of extinction. Calendar The Republic day is divided into 44 hours. The Republic year is 205 days long, divided into four periods of 50 days and a five-day holiday period. These five days are set aside as a general holiday for religious observances and personal reflection in the five days preceding the New Year. Non-Iestans typically spend these days celebrating with friends or pursuing personal development. Religion Iest – Iest is the dominant form of religion on Republic, with 88% of the population adhering to the teachings of Vesta, a twenty-third century prophet who was martyred, returned from the dead, and the First Crusade. Adherents of Iestan faith are devoted to family and community. Most worship is conducted in the home, by the family, with community worship centers for larger communal events. There are no Iestan holidays as such, owing to the confusion of time and date through space travel, rather each individual life is celebrated. Key events include the Passage, taken just before the thirteenth birthday. The adherent undertakes a journey of three days, imitating the three day journey of Vesta during which her divinity was revealed. Iestans celebrate the Five Days with meditation and fasting, followed by a great feast and exchange of gifts. Educational System The Republic educational system tries to make sure every person on the planet reaches his or her full potential, and can do whatever he or she wants to do in life. Everyone is required to participate in schooling between the ages of 2 and 16, and almost all people go on to study at an Academy or University for four additional years. Also, every citizen is encouraged to continue education, returning to school for at least one year out of each four throughout one’s whole life. This ensures constant stimulation and exposure to new ideas and interests Government Republic is divided into 74 Sectors, thirty-six in the Northern Hemisphere, thirty-six in the southern, with two special sectors covering the polar regions beyond 64 degrees of latitude. These are not true sectors in the geometrical sense. Although they are partially determined by lines of longitude, they also, in some places, are demarcated by natural features and sometimes are altered to better equalize the populations represented by each sector. Governmental Organization The responsibility for managing the planet Republic and assuring the safety and happiness of the over three billion people who live here is divided among Five Houses of government (Four legislative, 1 executive), who make the laws and oversee the Ministries, and the Ministries, that provide the services of government to the people. '''The Senate – The Senate is one of the four houses of planetary legislative branch. The Senate has 370 members, ten from each sector. The purpose of the Senate is to oversee and set policies for the Ministries and to advise the Planetary Council. It is located in the City of Governance and the City of Alexander. The Senate, The Council, and The Assembly are called The Special Houses, because they can only pass laws on certain things, whereas the Parliament and the Legislature may pass law on any issue that comes before them. Men and women who serve in the Senate are called Senators. The Parliament – The Parliament is one of the four houses of planetary legislative branch. The Parliament is elected differently than the other houses. Every one in Parliament belongs to a ‘party,’ which is a group of people who agree on many of the same things. Everyone on Republic, in addition to voting for people directly, also vote for a party. The 660 seats in Parliament are then divided among the parties in proportion to how many votes each party received. It is located in the City of Governance. Men and women who serve in the Parliament are called Envoys The Assembly '''– The Assembly is one of the four houses of planetary legislative branch, and the largest with 1,480 members, or twenty from each Sector of the planet. The primary job of the Assembly is to determine how the resources of Republic’s government will be allocated. '''The Legislature – The Legislature is one of the four houses of planetary legislative branch. It is located in the City of Governance and the City of Alexander. All proposed planetary laws must pass through the Legislature regardless of which of the four houses or the Council they start in. The 1,000 members of the legislature are apportioned among the cities of Republic. The City of Alexander is very large, and so it sends 12 delegates. The smallest cities send only one. Men and women who serve in the Council are called Representatives. The Council '''– The Council is one of the five houses of planetary government. It is located in the City of Alexander. There are one hundred members, and each one must have served in one of the other four houses in order to serve in the council. They are elected by everybody on the planet, and serve for eight years. The council has the final approval on laws passed by the other houses. Some types of laws need only be approved by one house, some by two, and some by three before the council can act. The Council can not change the laws once they have been passed to the Council. The Council also is where Their policies for dealing with other worlds are made. The President and the Prime Minister both sit and vote with the Council. Ministers can vote, too, if the president requests and the Council agrees. Once the Council votes aye on a law, the president must sign it, or send it back. If sixty or more members of the Council agree, the law can be passed anyway. The president and his ministers may not vote to over-ride the president’s decision. Men and women who serve in the Council are called Deputies. '''Constitutional Committee – An elite committee of 12 men and women, elected by the people and approved by the five houses, updates and adjusts the Constitution of Republic to enable it to cope with changing times. When the Constitutional committee suggests a change, the president presents the Suggestion to the five houses. Both of the General houses and at least two of the Special Houses have to agree before the change can be made. The Ministries The functions of Government on Republic are carried out by a large array of Ministries. *Prime Ministry *Ministry of Accommodation *Ministry of Aesthetics *Ministry of Agriculture, Hydroponics, and Botany *Ministry of Animal Protection *Ministry of Architecture *Ministry of Artificial Intelligence *Ministry of Assistance *Ministry of Atmosphere *Ministry of Authentication *Ministry of Banking *Ministry of Biology *Ministry of Charity *Ministry of Child Development *Ministry of Child Protection *Ministry of Children’s Health *Ministry of Cities *Ministry of Citizenship *Ministry of Clothing, Textiles, and Garments *Ministry of Collaboration *Ministry of Commerce *Ministry of Communication *Ministry of Compensation *Ministry of Conduct *Ministry of Consensus *Ministry of Cooperation *Ministry of Culture *Ministry of Discourse *Ministry of Ecology *Ministry of Economics *Ministry of Education *Ministry of Elder Citizens *Ministry of Emergency Planning and Response *Ministry of Energy *Ministry of Engineering *Ministry of Enterprises *Ministry of Entertainment *Ministry of Environment *Ministry of Establishment *Ministry of Ethics *Ministry of Fairness *Ministry of Families *Ministry of Finance *Ministry of Food and Beverage Services *Ministry of Food Safety *Ministry of Geology, Geography, and Geophysics *Ministry of Government Integrity *Ministry of Human Health *Ministry of History *Ministry of Human Factors *Ministry of Humanity *Ministry of Ideas *Ministry of Industry *Ministry of Information *Ministry of Infrastructure *Ministry of Inspections *Ministry of Interchange *Ministry of Justice *Ministry of Knowledge *Ministry of Labor *Ministry of Language *Ministry of Law *Ministry of Leisure *Ministry of Licenses *Ministry of Literature *Ministry of Medicine *Ministry of Men *Ministry of Men’s Health *Ministry of Mental Health *Ministry of Museums, Monuments, and Historical Preservation *Ministry of Music *Ministry of Nutrition *Ministry of Off-World Development *Ministry of Organization *Ministry of Oversight *Ministry of Planetary Security *Ministry of Population *Ministry of Practices *Ministry of Progress *Ministry of Public Interest *Ministry of Public Opinion *Ministry of Public Safety *Ministry of Public Services *Ministry of Recognition *Ministry of Records *Ministry of Recreation *Ministry of Rehabilitation *Ministry of Religion *Ministry of Renewal *Ministry of Research *Ministry of Safety *Ministry of Sapphire and Out-System Relations *Ministry of Science *Ministry of Seas *Ministry of Sector Affairs *Ministry of Security *Ministry of Service *Ministry of Shelter *Ministry of Social Relations *Ministry of Society *Ministry of Space *Ministry of Sport *Ministry of Standards *Ministry of Technology *Ministry of the Arts *Ministry of the Biosphere *Ministry of Trade *Ministry of Transport *Ministry of Understanding *Ministry of Unity *Ministry of Vital Statistics *Ministry of Water *Ministry of Weather *Ministry of Women *Ministry of Women’s Health Legal System Republic has had many legal systems through the centuries. In the colonial era, some cities followed Commonwealth Law, while others were subject to Company Law depending on which Galactic Enterprise owned the outpost. These were eventually replaced with homegrown systems, although many of these were merely revisions of previous system. The modern system of law is guided by the 40,000 pages of Constitution of the Planet Republic, and by the 607,000 pages of the Laws of Republic. Every person accused of a crime is assigned to a Truth Counselor, who assembles a team determined to find the truth of the accusation. When the truth is found, the facts are presented to a panel of from three-to-five judges (in most cases, although different crimes may require more or fewer) who determine the appropriate remedy. The goal of their system is not to punish those who make bad choices, but to teach them right from wrong so that they can participate in society again. The Ministry of Rehabilitation operates four Rehabilitation camps located in remote Areas of Sector 17 North, Sector 31 North, Sector 36 North, and Sector 11 South. Those sent here work as part of a community. They must help cultivate food, prepare food, and serve food to fellow inhabitants. They must provide for their own clothing as well, and must discuss their crimes with rehabilitation therapists. The largest facility, in Sector 11 South, can house up to 300 people at any given time. Military Republic’s Military tradition descends primarily from the Grand Unification. After the planet was brought together, many Cities and Alliances retained independent security forces, in addition to contributing to the Home Guard, an integrated planetary security force. By about 7850 APR, though, the military role had largely subsided, and in the absence of internal or external threats, the military was all but disbanded. This began to change in the early eighty-sixth century, as trade and other links with Sapphire began to evolve. Sapphire, while a peaceful world in itself, had maintained a military tradition, and was viewed as a potential threat. Republic felt a need to ensure its forces could at least match those of the other world. Over much objection by some elements in the Government, the Home Guard was reinstituted in 8541 APR, with a mission of maintaining the security of Republic and the out-world. The Home Guard today performs not only defensive mission, but also search-and-rescue, exploration, and scientific endeavor. Economy Aided by peace, cooperation and unity extending over the past millennium, Republic has achieved a standard of living that guarantees every man and woman and boy and girl not only the basics of food, clothing, shelter, security, health care, and community, but also comfort and recreation. Unlike Sapphire, where government functions and enterprise (business) functions are strictly separated, Republic uses a system of progressive support for enterprises and extensive planetary welfare benefits to ensure the standard of living of all her people. Thanks to the close integration of enterprises and government, things we use every day and the services we need each day are quickly provided anywhere on the plant. Food is taken the from the Agro-Botany Complexes in Sector 9 South, shipped through the City of Sustenance, and taken by Maglev train and hover-truck to the Food Distributor in your neighborhood, and then right to your consumption place. Republic has excellent internal and external communications, The Ministries of Communication, Entertainment, and Information ensure the availability of educational materials through our broadcast media, as well as making sure all points of view on every issue are fairly represented. Largest Enterprises: These are twelve of the largest planetary enterprises and combines. *Crimson Permanent Assurance - Community, Social and Personal Services *Sector 7-G - Artificial Intelligence *MEGF - Energy *TNG - Materials Processing *Plexus - Community, Social and Personal Services *12XU - Data Exchange *Netwerk 23 - Entertainment, Media, Communication *SLC - Transport *United Agro/Vegra - Food Processing and Distributing *Nisixx - Integrated Artificial Intelligence Systems *QRZX - Data, media, communication *Solius - Energy History Prehistory Three billion years ago before the human discovery of the Republic system, a white dwarf star entered the system and began spiraling in toward the star that Republic orbits. As it did so, the primary star began pulling matter from the White Dwarf. Over time, the primary sun ripped the smaller star to pieces This interaction produced particles of a very valuable substance called element 151. Republic and Proxy became soaked in this element, as did all the comets and asteroids that wandered by in the two million years it took for the star to fall completely into the sun. Element 151 is very unstable, but if it gets into water, or to the surface of a planet, it is protected by the atmosphere. Proxy didn’t have an atmosphere, or water, to hold it, but Republic did. Some of Element 151 was deposited on Arista, but not enough to make extracting it worthwhile. Discovery and Exploration The Republic system was charted by the starship Carpentaria, under the command of Captain Jephthah Fenris in the old Terran year 3969. When the explorers came, they soon realized their new colony had something very valuable. Element 151 was what is called a catalyst, which means it makes things happen. In this case, what it made happen was it made it possible to synthesize (or make) a very powerful fuel called anti-deuterium, which powered the ancient ships. The ancients could make anti-deuterium without Element 151, but Element 151 made the process much more efficient. They could also make Element 151, but it was very dangerous. Republic’s seas were filled with it, though, and it could be extracted easily The planet was rated as a marginal colonization prospect, and was initially settled for purposes of exploiting its vast mineral and chemical resources. It was a convenient station between the Outer Colonies and the Frontier, and conveniently close to an inhabitable planet with readily usable agricultural resources (Sapphire.) The first colony and extraction pods were deposited on the surface in the Earth Year 4220, dropped by the colony ship Olympic 55. '' The colony pods formed the cores of the extraction complexes. There was usually one combined structure, extremely sturdy, the provided power, inhabitation, and command control facilities, that could be deposited on the surface directly, ready-to-go. Many of these pods became the cores of the cities that grew up around them, and some … as in the City of Archangel and the City of Victory. Colonial Period It took nearly 400 years for Republic to develop a sufficiently large number of second-generation inhabitants to qualify for Independent Colony status. A great many of the people who came to Republic were drawn by the wealth offered by extracting Element 151 and other valuable materials from Republic’s surface. When their work was finished they returned to the Inner Colonies. The colony grew slowly, but sustainably, trading its naturalrecourse for the materials necessary to maintain life in its inhospitable environment. The Separation On the 41st day of the fourth quarter of 5280 A.P.R, a processing ship known as the Boron Maru left the orbital docking facility. This was the last Commonwealth ship to ever call on Republic. A while later, the SpaceNet that had enabled people from distant planets to talk to one another, share ideas, and navigate the Gulf between the stars fell silent also. Republic was all alone in the cosmos. Most of the people who came to Republic had not come to settle the planet. They had intended to extract its resources, then return to other colonies. When The Great Silence fell across our world, the only "settlements" were 419 widely scattered extraction outposts. Most of the planet’s food had always been brought in from off-world, and very little remained. The agriculture stations could not produce enough food to sustain even the small population of the time. (About 440,000 people.) Each station operated as a separate entity. There was no cooperation, or coordination among the different stations. For the first millennium after Separation, this was the condition that prevailed: Every outpost for itself. Some managed to survive, learning how to grow enough food hydroponically to feed its own. Many outposts were abandoned. Even in the best of the stations, conditions were crowded, cramped and unpleasant for most of the population. Post-colonial period 'The Grand Unification A.P.R 5660 - 6000 The watershed event in Republic history is the "Grand Unification" undertaken in order to bring all the cities and settlements of Republic under a single planetary government. The largest cities, led by Alexander, sought to integrate the smaller settlements that had grown up into a coherent system, the better for management of planetary growth and resources. It was not until the year 5600 or so that the idea that sharing resources and cooperative development could raise the standard of living for every one. The Progenitor of this idea was a woman named Huangpoo d’Oro, who was the daughter of the Manager of New Alexander. When she was young, she accompanied her father on trade missions to other cities, and she saw potential for cooperation if all the cities could be brought together. Eventually, she secured the support of Vladimir Zhou, the station’s Chief of Security. The City of Alexander (then called New Alexander), the City of Progress (then called Guangzhou Nine) and the City of Unity (then called Columbia Station) were the first to unite. They adopted a common set of laws, vested power in a Tri-lateral Committee on which the interests of all three were represented, and combined forces to build a dedicated agricultural station capable of providing food to all three cities. They built dedicated transportation and communication links between their three cities. Other alliances formed. The largest was the Ten Cities of the Plains, comprising the modern Cities of Industry, Commerce, Justice, Peace, Energy, History, Labor, Thought, Nurturing, and Advancement. Within a few centuries, Republic had gone from being a planet of scattered outposts, to a planet of allied city-states. While these enabled resources to be shared more equally within the alliances, bitter rivalries developed between them. Competition for scarce reserves of water, food, and energy brought rival alliances into conflict. Technology was not shared freely, and required one alliance to steal it from another. Over the course of centuries, peaceful and stable systems of exchange were worked out that preserved stability, but it did not change the basic problems of division. A few visionaries, led by a Senator named Lorna Petronas, of the City of Exchange, (then called New Melaka) began to articulate a vision of uniting all the cities into a common planetary Republic as had been envisioned by the world’s first colonists. Petronas desired to accomplish this through peaceful integration, but centuries of attempts to peacefully bring together the cities proved unsuccessful, although the seventy earlier alliances had consolidated to nineteen by 6400 APR. This date is important, because this is the data General Winona Ryder, who was the leader of the largest Alliance, the Seaboard Alliance of fifty-four cities, all within 400 km of the coast of the Longitudinal Sea, decided to unite the cities by force. On the 44th day of the fourth quarter, 5824 A.P.R (just before the Five Days Respite, that year), her forces moved into the Cities of Security, Bravery, and Victory (formerly New Atlantia, Brisco Station, and Vernal Pass). and quickly conquered them. These cities had been part of the fifteen city Southern Alliance. The rest of the alliance fought back, but before the end of the third quarter, the entire Southern Alliance was under Seaboard Alliance Occupation. Ryder quickly signed Non-Aggression pacts with three other large alliances. In APR 5828, She conquered half the cities of the Northerly Watershed Alliance, who had signed no treaty, and turned some of the conquered cities over to the alliances with whom he had signed the Pacts, thus preserving the peace. For most of the next thousand years, the Wars of Unification (the City Wars, as the Sapphireans call them) were fought back and forth across the world, climaxing in the destruction of the City of Testament (then called Anaria) with thermonuclear weapons in 5946 A.P.R. The City of Testament had been a hold-out, positioned strategically between two of the three major alliances of the time and under protection by the third. The Third Alliance actually carried out the strike in hopes of provoking a confrontation between the other alliances. Ultimately, it backfired. Faced with the possibility of annihilation, the three powers decided to build a brand new city, to be called the City of Consensus, for which they selected an expanse of salt-rock located in the Valley of Gales. Three complexes were laid out, to house delegations from each of the three Alliances. The complexes were arranged equilaterally around and connected to a great central dome, where all could meet and settle differences. Just before the end of the eighth Millennium, the last vestiges of the Alliances were done away with. All cities on the planet were renamed, with nomenclature chosen to make people feel good about themselves and break down the old barriers and allegiances that had separated them. Republic was unified and peaceful at last. The three complexes eventually became the first three houses of government, The Parliament, The Legislature, and the Diet. The Legacy of New Testament Over the centuries, many records of the Colonial Area were destroyed, partly by accident, but also through a series of "Self-Sufficiency" movements, which held that the past must be broken with absolutely to insure planetary advancement. These movements, which were sponsored by many city governments and some of the early planetary governments, assisted in the destruction of pre-Silence records. (It was as a result of one self-sufficiency movement that the planet’s name was changed from Valeska to Republic.) Only the records contained in the uninhabitable ruins of the City of Testament survived. Once unified, the most important endeavor of the planet Republic was to rebuild the legacy that had been lost when Republic was separated from the family of humanity. Before this could be accomplished though, the whole planet had be made strong. In the early days, a boy or girl who lived in, say, the City of Alexander, had a much better life than a child born in, for example, the City of Abundance. It took a few centuries to bring all the planet up to an equal level of technology, safety, and comfort. Only then could our people begin to look outward. In 6533 APR Republic at last regained contact with Sapphire. The Rebellion of 6194 – Not everyone was happy with the unified planetary government. Beginning around 6170 APR, a movement to weaken the central government began to take place, culminating in 6194 when reactionary elements (people who want to make things go backwards) seized control of the Parliament and Legislature, and attempted to weaken the control of the central government. Many cities threatened to completely withdraw from the Republic. However, the Government began paying more close attention to the needs of people in the cities, and as a result, more people than ever came to support the Government. The bad people were voted out of office and the process of integration continued. Eventually, people were persuaded that central planetary government was a good thing. Historical Figures Representative Historical Figures 'Winona Ryder '– Winona Ryder is regarded as the greatest leader of the Grand Unification. She was born in Rowan Tau Station (City of Alexander) in APR 6040. Her father was a Prelate in the City Government, and an Emissary to the Seaboard Alliance. In APR 6074, she married General Proteus Toshiba, who was leader of the Seaboard Alliance Military Combine. When General Toshiba was assassinated by a rival Alliance, she took over his position, and within four years was the Leader of the Seaboard Alliance. Under her leadership, the Seaboard Alliance grew and consolidated with the Central Alliance. In APR 6088, during the Siege of Ten Stations, she took the forces of the Seaboard Alliance into the defense of their allies in the Central Alliance; saving Rowan Tau and the other stations from defeat at the hands of reactionary forces. She later integrated the stations of the Seaboard Alliance into the Central Alliance. Her military strategies are still required reading by the Home Guard. 'Lakeisha Kawasaki '– Lakeisha Kawasaki (6421 - 6502 APR) was a "Publicrat" from the City of Providence who was elected to five terms in the Assembly, two terms in the Council, ran unsuccessfully for president twice, and finally became Presiding Officer of the Constitutional Committee She was a visionary, far ahead of her time. She pursued numerous Constitutional Reforms, and although many failed in her time, eventually almost all of them were incorporated into the Republic Constitution. Kawasaki believed the good Government ought to be active in making every citizen achieve his or her full potential. In her time, many people did not think there was much of a role for Government in their daily lives. There were only 20 Ministries, and the main job of Government was to make sure all the cities and all the sectors got along with each other. Each city was responsible for its own public services. It’s hard to believe now, but such things as education, medical care, social equality, and air quality varied wildly from city to city. Kawasaki was able to bring them into uniformity. Kawasaki also saw more potential, for combining the commercial and political elements of society into a uniform system that would provide for everyone’s needs. Although she was opposed by those whose wealth and power resided in the existing structure, subsequent generations saw most of her ideas put into place. '''Trafalgar Was – Many citizens regard Trafalgar Was (6680 to 6779 APR) as the greatest scientist Republic ever produced. Working with a great Sapphirean scientist named Ace Fielder, he invented the system called Tachyon Pulse Transmission, that enables us to communicate in real-time with our friends on Sapphire. Before this invention, transmissions took fourteen days to reach one world from the other. He applied his breakthroughs in tachyon science to advanced artificial intelligence, which greatly improved the efficiency and capability of the central intelligence processors of Republic's cities. He also developed the Q-wave energy system that allows energy to be created sustainably from sub-atomic interactions. Lyrissa Laidlaw – First President of United Republic. Lyrissa Laidlaw was born in the City of Wisdom in 5954 APR . She became a leading figure in the League of Eastern Cities, which was one of the three great powers that coalesced to form the planetary government. Before all the three powers agreed on a power-sharing structure, she was part of "Triad Council" with the leaders of the other two cities. The other two leaders were reluctant to join into a planetary Government, but Lisa worked tirelessly toward her goal and eventually prevailed. Bartoleus Diaz-Exxon – Bartoleo Diaz-Exxon (6577-6668 APR) campaigned for the establishment of the Fourth House, which became known as the Assembly. The Assembly increased the influence of the cities in the Planetary Government, and in so doing, helped eliminate vestiges of the former Alliances. Talman Rand – Talman Rand (6559-6611 APR) devoted his life to the historical reconstruction of the Colonial Era. In his time, this was not a popular pursuit. In fact, many people believed the past should be forgotten, because it was an impediment to the building a better world. Talman Rand collected and archived all the records of the Colonial Era he could get his hands on, and hid them away in a secret location. Deep underneath the City of Logic, he found some ancient, abandoned caverns dating from the Extraction Era, and he hid all the records he could find there. While not as extensive as the records retrieved from the City of Testament, these records were very important to preservation of Republic’s heritage. His story reminds us that, sometimes, under extraordinary circumstances, going along with the crowd is not always the right thing to do. Ranz Omnico – Ranz Omnico was the leader of the Consensus Party in the 67th century. In 6670 APR, he became planetary president, and immediately began a secret campaign to destabilize the government of Sapphire. He knew military force alone would not succeed (although he did initiate a massive build-up of military forces), so he unleashed a scheme to subvert the process by which people were selected to serve in The Thing (which, on Sapphire, replaces the Five Houses), intending to install only candidates who would re-align the planet to be like Republic. Eventually, he hoped to merge the worlds into a single government. If this plan failed, he had drawn up plans to take over the government’s of Sapphire’s territory, and even to commit acts of violence, such as blowing up government and military installations on Sapphire. He never pursued those plans, but he did covertly attempt to establish a military base on the fifth planet of the Sapphire system. He failed, but relations with Sapphire were soured for centuries. Indigenous Life Forms Despite Republic’s Harsh Climate, some varieties of plants and animals, (4000 species of plants and 300 animal or animal-like species) were found when the first human inhabitants arrived. Almost all of these species live in or near the water-covered areas of the planet. None of the animal species comes close to the level of mammalian intelligence. During the first centuries following the Beginning of the Great Silence, some of these species came to be cultivated, or raised, as a source of food, including: Aquatic Cucumbers '--- the green tube-shaped plants grow from thick shoots connecting them to the floor of shallow waters at the Marine Margin.'Call Buttons '--- small, flat, oval shaped pods that grow on several species of aquatic plants. Because they strain the water for small, one-celled life forms, they are rich in protein and made up for scarce sources of meat during the Silence.'Taggar Pods '--- Another aquatic life form with a tough pulpy center. Harvested and dried, they can be made into a type of flour far richer in protein that that of triticale.'Abiona '--- Animal like life form that floats atop ocean waters. Individual abiona are one to ten centimeters long and rich in proteins. '''Marjani '--- Marjani is the name for several species of tiny animals who build long shelves and undersea structures out of their skeletons. Marjani is a great delicacy, but because it can take up to 2,000 years to grow a single kilogram of Marjani, it is a highly protected species. The species was driven to extinction in many areas of the planet in the first years of the Great Silence before more sustainable food forms could be developed. Only a few thousand kilograms are permitted to be harvested in any given year.'''Bathysophods --- Bathysophods, (Bah-THEE-so-fods) are the most advanced form of life native on the planet. They reside in the waters of seas, at depths between ten and thirty meters. There are one hundred sixty five different species identified. The largest are a meter in length or height, the smallest are just a millimeter in diameter. All have shells and plates that cover the soft parts of their bodies, which consist of little more than connective tissue. They eat by straining organic matter from the water around them. They reproduce through a process called 'Mitotic Code Exchange," in which one Bathysophod injects its genetic code into another. The code recombines in specialized organs of the other Bathysophods anatomy, and the organs themselves transform into new Bathysophods Category:Worlds